Getting started in investigative reporting- it's never too soon

When you're just getting started in journalism, getting names spelled right and meeting your deadlines can be a huge challenge. But if your dream is investigative reporting - fighting corruption, righting wrongs, helping fix things, afflicting the comfortable and comforting the afflicated - it's never to early to start.

Here are some things you can do:
1. Really listen Put down your notebook at the end of an interview and say - is there anything else you want to tell me? Or: Is there anything else I should know?
2. Show up early and leave late for interviews and press conferences. Look around and be curious.
3. Listen to your instincts. Does something seem wrong? Is someone lying to you? Pay attention to your own responses.
4. Have conversations - not just interviews with sources: Go out to lunch or coffee or ride around in a car with them and listen to them talk. You'll find the bigger stories behind the stories.
5. Drop by: If you have a beat that includes covering people who work in a government office, visit different people's offices to chat when you have free time. Or if this is impossible, ask for a tour or pick up a phone directory or hang out in the break room and leave your card with everyone you meet.
6. Know the players: Figure out who are the experts , the gossips, the whistleblowers and who really has the power and get to know all of these people.
7. Be organized: keep a list of tips you get from sources (since hopefully you'll have more than you can tackle), record your source's phone numbers, cell numbers, e-mails, kids' names and other info in your contact files.
8. Keep  project notes separate from your daily stories: Set up a folder in Windows/Mac named for your project. Keep your interview notes, electronic documents, "to do lists" and story memos there.
 9. Use placeholder drafts - Periodically write up a summary -  what I call a placeholder draft - of what you know so far, your best stuff and a list of things you still need to do. That way, if you have to set aside your reporting for a while (or even for a long time) you won't lost time or forget where you were.
10. Set goals: Often the most you can do as a beginner, is try to tackle one difficult story every six months or so. This means you tackle that story little by little in between other assignments. A goal  helps you stay motivated.
11. Look for mentors - this might be your editor, someone on an investigative team or even someone in another news organization - who will read your stories, talk to you about your project and give advice. A good mentor will improve your story and help you get better too.
12. Join Investigative Reporters & Editors or a similar journalism organization. Through IRE I have found many mentors, and have used tipsheets and story archives to figure out how to tackle investigations.